Animal collar

ABSTRACT

An electronic animal collar designed to reduce the load applied to the animal&#39;s neck by one or more stimulating electrodes or sensors that extend from or through an inside surface of the collar housing into the skin of the animal during use, and to permit the collar to be securely fastened to the neck of the animal without risk of causing discomfort or damage to the skin of the animal due to pressure from the stimulating electrodes. The inside surface of the collar housing has one or more high point surfaces that are raised to extend the inside surface above the base of the stimulating electrodes or sensors toward the animal during use so as to increase contact between the inside surface and the animal&#39;s skin and to thereby relieve and distribute the load caused by collar tension around the animal&#39;s neck over a larger contact friction area. A connecting strap for connecting the electronic collar to the animal includes a stretchable insert to ensure good electrode/skin contact and provide comfort for the animal.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/979,714, filed Nov. 2, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,243,617 issued onJul. 17, 2007, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/634,467, filed on Aug. 5, 2003, now U.S. Pat.No. 6,830,014, issued on Dec. 14, 2004.

FIELD

The present description relates to animal collars, and in particular todog collars of the type that have one or more electrodes or sensorswhich protrude from the inside surface of the collar for contacting theneck of the animal and electronic devices located within the body of thecollar to receive electronic control signals or sensor input and togenerate a stimulus, which is transmitted to the animal through theelectrodes or by a speaker on the collar.

BACKGROUND

Various electronic animal collar-type training aids are known forenabling an animal trainer to encourage or discourage certain behaviourin animals, such as dogs. The devices may be used to discourage barkingor digging, or contain the animal within a defined area.

Generally, the trainer uses a transmitter capable of sending electronicsignals, such as radio frequency (RF) signals, to a receiver unitcontained within a boxlike enclosure strapped around the animal's neck(see FIG. 1—Prior Art). The transmitter unit may be a stationaryboundary unit, a stationary centrally located unit, or a portabletransmitter carried by the trainer as part of a remote control unit.Also contained within the boxlike enclosure strapped to the animal are apower supply and a signal generator for generating a stimulus (normallyan electric stimulus) that is transmitted to the animal through one ormore electrodes, which protrude from the inside surface of the boxlikeenclosure and press into the neck of the animal. In response to signalsreceived by the receiver from the transmitter, a voltage is applied tothe one or more electrodes to provide an electric stimulation to theanimal when it exhibits undesirable behaviour. A device of this type isshown in FIG. 1 of the present application and is also shown anddescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,999, issued to Duane A. Gerig on Dec.11, 2002.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, currently available animal collars 1generally comprise a boxlike collar housing 2 attachable to the animal'sneck using strap 3. One or more electrodes 4 typically protrude from aninside surface 5 of boxlike collar housing 2 between ⅜ inch (0.95 cm)and ¾ inch (1.9 cm). Electrodes 4 generally have contact pointsapproximately ⅛ inch (0.32 cm) in diameter. One problem with suchcollars, is that their effectiveness is limited by the amount of contactthat can be obtained between electrodes 4 and the animal's skin 6.Getting the proper tension on the collar requires considerableexperience and many inexperienced trainers over tighten or under tightenthe devices around the animal's neck. The problem with the electroniccollars of the prior art is that 90% of the collar tensioning load isconcentrated on the tiny electrodes 4, which jab into the animal's neck.This causes animal discomfort, and over time, the electrodes can harmthe animal by causing sores. If the collars are worn loosely, sufficientelectrode-skin contact can be lost when the animal runs or shakesitself, especially when the animal becomes wet.

So called ‘no-bark collars’ of the prior art are similar to theelectronic collars described above, and shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, except,in place of the receiver/transmitter combination, no-bark collars have abark sensor generally located on inside surface 5. The bark sensor issimilar to the one or more electrodes 4 and is designed to contact theanimal's neck and detect vibrations associated with barking. When suchvibrations are detected, an electric stimulus is transmitted to theanimal through the one or more electrodes 4 to deter the barkingbehaviour.

No-bark collars and other similar collars used in various animalcontainment systems or animal training systems, suffer from the samedisadvantages described above.

It would therefore be advantageous if an electronic collar device wasdeveloped that could permit sufficient electrode-skin contact to allowthe device be effective, and yet provide comfort to the animal andprevent damage and sores.

BRIEF SUMMARY

It is an object of one aspect of the applicant's animal collar describedherein to provide an animal collar that overcomes one or more of theabove shortcomings.

It is an object of another aspect to provide an animal collar thatreduces and distributes the tensioning load applied to the animal's neckby the stimulating electrodes or sensors.

It is an object of another aspect to provide an animal collar that canbe securely fastened to the neck of the animal and that reduces the riskof causing discomfort or damage to the skin of the animal due topressure from the stimulating electrodes or sensors.

It is an object of a further aspect to provide a strap for attaching ananimal collar to an animal, the animal collar having at least oneelectrode extending toward the animal during use, the strap designed tomaintain good electrode/skin contact while at the same time improvinganimal comfort.

Briefly, the applicant's animal collar described herein provides anelectronic animal collar designed to reduce the load applied to theanimal's neck by one or more stimulating electrodes or sensors thatextend from or through an inside surface of the collar housing into theskin of the animal during use, and to permit the collar to be securelyfastened to the neck of the animal without risk of causing discomfort ordamage to the skin of the animal due to pressure from the stimulatingelectrodes. The inside surface of the collar housing has one or morehigh point surfaces that extend the inside surface above the electrodebase and towards the animal so as to relieve and distribute the loadcaused by collar tension around the animal's neck over a larger contactfriction area. The high point surfaces intersect with a notional90-degree plane extending from any point, located above the electrode orsensor base where it intersects with the inside surface of the collarhousing, on a central longitudinal axis of any of the one or moreelectrodes or sensors. In another aspect, the connecting strap for theapplicant's animal collar includes a stretchable insert, whichautomatically adjusts the collar to the correct tightness regardless ofthe user's skill in securing the collar to the animal. In addition, thestretchable insert will extend and tighten in response to the animal'smovements, such as flexing the neck muscles, heavy breathing or barking,thus maintaining proper collar tension and electrode-skin contact at alltimes.

According to one aspect of the applicant's animal collar, there isprovided a connecting strap for attaching a collar housing to an animal,the collar housing having at least one electrode extending toward theanimal during use, the connecting strap comprising: a first proximal endand a second distal end and a buckle connected to the first end forconnecting the first end to the second end; and a stretchable portionlocated in the buckle for automatically adjusting collar tension duringuse.

According to another aspect of the applicant's animal collar, there isprovided an electronic animal collar comprising: a collar housingincluding at least one electrode extending toward the animal during usefor transmitting an electric stimulus to the animal; and a connectingstrap for connecting the collar housing to the animal, the connectingstrap including a stretchable insert portion for automatically adjustingcollar tension during use and a stop means for limiting the distance thestretchable insert portion can be stretched.

According to a further aspect of the applicant's animal collar, there isalso provided an electronic animal collar comprising: a collar housingincluding at least one electrode extending toward the animal during usefor transmitting an electric stimulus to the animal; a connecting strapfor connecting the collar housing to the animal, the connecting strapincluding a first proximal end and a second distal end and a buckleconnected to the first end for connecting the first end to the secondend; and a stretchable portion located in the buckle for automaticallyadjusting collar tension during use.

According to another aspect of the applicant's animal collar, there isprovided a connecting strap for attaching a collar housing to an animal,the collar housing having at least one electrode extending toward theanimal during use, the connecting strap comprising: a stretchable insertportion for automatically adjusting collar tension during use; and astop means for limiting the distance the stretchable insert portion canbe stretched.

In other aspects, the connecting strap may include a buckle and thestretchable portion may be located in the buckle. The stretchableportion may be a flexible tubing made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC),thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), plastic, or latex. The buckle can beconstructed to have a back buckle portion and a front buckle portionwherein the stretchable portion connects the back buckle portion to thefront buckle portion. The buckle may also include a stop means forlimiting the distance the stretchable portion can be stretched, and thestop means may be a string connected between the front buckle portionand the back buckle portion.

One advantage of the applicant's animal collar is that it reduces theload applied to the animal's neck by the stimulating electrodes or barksensor. A further advantage of the applicant's animal collar is that itcan be securely fastened to the neck of the animal without risk ofcausing discomfort or damage to the skin of the animal due to pressurefrom the stimulating electrodes or sensor. Another advantage of theapplicant's animal collar is that the stretchable portion of theconnecting strap automatically adjusts the collar to the correcttightness regardless of the user's skill in securing the collar to theanimal. Yet another advantage is that the stretchable portion of theconnecting strap will extend and tighten in response to the animal'smovements, such as flexing the neck muscles, heavy breathing or barking,thus maintaining proper collar tension and good electrode-skin contactat all times.

Further objects and advantages of the applicant's animal collar will beapparent from the following description, wherein various embodiments ofthe applicant's animal collar are clearly described and shown.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In drawings that illustrate the applicant's animal collar by way ofexample:

FIG. 1 shows a front side view of an electronic animal collar of theprior art.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged front side view of the electrodes and insidesurface of the electronic animal collar of the prior art shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the applicant's animalcollar showing attachment to a connecting strap and the location of sideinserts in exploded fashion.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the applicant's animal collar, with sideinserts installed, showing the location of pressure points and contactfriction areas with the skin of the animal.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view of the electrodes and central highpoint surface of the collar shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the applicant's animal collar showing theattachment of side inserts in exploded fashion.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged rear view of one of the electrodes shown in FIG.6.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the electrodes shown inFIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged front view of one of the electrodes of theapplicant's animal collar, extending above a central high point surfaceof the collar.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a further embodiment of the applicant'sanimal collar including a receiver and a collar speaker, and a remotecontrol unit including a microphone and a transmitter for transmittingaudio commands to the animal.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the applicant'sanimal collar including an audio storage device for storage of audiocommands.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the applicant'sanimal collar including a vibration sensor on the remote control unit.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the applicant'sanimal collar including voice recognition circuits and a microphone onthe remote control unit.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the applicant'sanimal collar including an option control program and an advertisingprogram on a microprocessor of the remote control unit.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a buckle attached to a connecting strapof another embodiment of the applicant's animal collar.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an electronic animal collar 1 common to the prior art anddesigned for attachment to the neck of an animal, such as a dog. Collar1 typically has a boxlike collar housing 2 attachable by a connectingstrap 3 to the neck of an animal, and supporting one or more electrodesor sensors 4 on a flat inside surface 5 thereof. Electrodes 4 makecontact with the skin 6 of the animal at pressure points A and B whenthe collar 1 is attached to the animal's neck. Pressure points A and Balso represent contact friction areas between the animal's skin 6 andcollar housing 2. The boxlike collar housing 2 contains the necessaryelectronic components for the proper functioning of the collar,including for example, a receiving unit for receiving electronic controlsignals, such as RF signals, from a remote transmitter, a power supply,and a stimulating unit for generating an electric stimulus, which isdelivered to the animal through electrodes 4 in response to the receivedelectronic control signals. In an electronic no-bark collar of the priorart, a bark sensor, similar to the one or more electrodes 4, is used inplace of the receiver/transmitter combination. The bark sensor detectsvibrations due to barking and signals the stimulating unit to issue anelectric stimulus to the animal through electrodes 4.

FIG. 2 is an enlargement of the one or more electrodes or sensors 4shown in FIG. 1, illustrating that in the prior art the one or moreelectrodes or sensors 4 typically protrude above inside surface 5between ⅜ inch (0.95 cm) and ¾ inch (1.9 cm).

FIGS. 3 through 9 illustrate one embodiment of the applicant's improvedanimal collar 10, which is designed for attachment to the neck of ananimal, such as a dog, using a connecting strap 20 and buckle 80 (seeFIG. 3). As in the prior art collar 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, collar 10includes a collar housing 12 for containing a receiving unit 62 (seeFIG. 10), a stimulating unit 72 (see FIG. 12), and a power supply (notshown). Depending on the various functions of collar 10, collar housing12 may also contain other devices, such as an audio storage device 68(see FIG. 12) and a collar speaker 60 (see FIGS. 6, and 10-14). Ifcollar 10 is a no-bark collar, collar housing 12 may not containreceiving unit 62, but instead will include a bark sensor 90 (see FIG.14).

Collar housing 12 generally has a front surface 14, an opposing backsurface 15, an outside surface 16, which faces away from the animalduring use, and an inside surface 18, which faces inwards toward theanimal and is designed for contacting the skin of the animal during usewhen the collar is attached to the animal's neck. Generally, collarhousing 12 is contoured, as shown in FIG. 3, to fit the curvature of theanimal's neck, but one skilled in the art will appreciate that otherconfigurations are possible so long as the improved supporting highpoint surfaces C, D, and E, as described herein below, are included.

One or more electrodes or sensors 24 extend through or are supported oninside surface 18. For convenience, the applicant's animal collar isgenerally shown having two electrodes 24, however, those skilled in theart will appreciate that more or fewer electrodes or sensors arepossible. For example, a typical no-bark collar may have two electrodes24 for delivering electric stimulation to the animal and one bark sensor90 (see FIG. 14), for sensing vibrations generated by barking, extendingthrough or supported on inside surface 18. In general, reference in thisapplication to one or more electrodes shall include one or more sensors,such as bark sensors.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 7 and 8, electrode 24 (or sensor 90 asthe case may be) has an electrode base 26 located at the intersection ofinside surface 18 and electrode 24, a opposite distal tip 28 for makingcontact with the animal's skin 6, and a central longitudinal axis 30. Asshown in FIG. 4, electrodes 24 make contact with the skin 6 of theanimal at pressure points A and B when collar 10 is attached to theanimal's neck.

As shown graphically in FIG. 4, inside surface 18 is designed to alsomake contact with the skin 6 of the animal during use, for example athigh point surfaces C, D, and E. High point surfaces C, D, and E areraised portions of inside surface 18, which extend inside surface 18above electrode base 26 and towards the animal, so as to increasecontact between inside surface 18 and the animal's skin 6 and to therebyrelieve and distribute the load caused by collar tension around theanimal's neck over a larger contact friction area than in the typicalanimal collar of the prior art (see FIG. 1). This has two beneficialeffects. First, animal comfort is improved and the possibility ofdeveloping sores is reduced because less pressure is concentrated onpressure points A and B. Second, collar movement is reduced due to theincreased contact friction areas at high point surfaces C, D, and E ofinside surface 18. As a result, the collar stays in place on theanimal's neck and good skin-electrode contact is maintained.

Good skin-electrode contact is further obtained and maintained by theapplicant's animal collar, which directs the animal's skin 6 in the neckarea, which is generally relatively loose, into pockets P separatinghigh point surfaces C, D, and E, and electrodes or sensors 24.

Referring to FIG. 7, the one or more high point surfaces C, D, E, areraised portions of inside surface 18 extending above electrode base 26and towards the animal and are designed to intersect with a notional90-degree plane 32 extended from any point X, above the level ofelectrode or sensor base 26, along central longitudinal axis 30 ofelectrodes or sensors 24, 90.

In the prior art collar 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, inside surface 5 ofcollar housing 2 is flat and contains no high point surfaces that extendabove an electrode or sensor base 26′ toward the animal during use. Inthe prior art collar of FIGS. 1 and 2, there are no high point surfaceson inside surface 5 that will intersect with a notional 90-degree plane32′ extended from any point X′, above the electrode or sensor base 26′,along a central longitudinal axis 30′ of electrodes or sensors 4. In theprior art collars, most of the collar tensioning load is concentrated onthe pressure points A and B of electrodes or sensors 4.

The advantage of having one or more raised high point surfaces C, D, E,in the applicant's animal collar, is that these high point surfacesrelieve the pressure applied to electrode pressure points A and B anddistribute the collar tensioning load over a larger contact frictionarea, as shown in FIG. 4, thus improving animal comfort and reducing thepossibility of sores and injury. It also permits collar 10 to be securedto the animal with greater force so as to improve electrode-skin contactand minimize the possibility that the collar will shift as a result ofanimal movements.

The presence of one or more high point surfaces C, D, E, on insidesurface 18, regardless of their number or dimensions, will improve theperformance of collar 10 when compared to the prior art collar 1, whereinside surface 5 is flat (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Nevertheless, it ispreferred that high point surfaces C, D, E, of inside surface 18 extendas high as possible relative to electrode base 26 and are as broad aspossible, while at the same time permitting adequate skin-electrodecontact. As shown in FIG. 4, the animal's skin 6 must be able to extendinto pockets P formed between electrodes or sensors 24 and high pointsurfaces C, D, E.

Referring to FIG. 9, the applicant has found it advantageous if collarhousing 12 is designed so that the point X on longitudinal axis 30, fromwhich notional 90-degree plane 32 is extended, is located less than ⅜inch (0.95 cm) down from distal end 28 of the one or more electrodes 24.That is, distal end 28 of electrodes 4 should not extend above highpoint surfaces C, D, E by more than ⅜ inch (0.95 cm).

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, inside surface 18 of collar housing 12 mayinclude one or more flanged notches 40 designed to mate with oppositelyflanged projections 42 on the bottom of wedge-shaped adjustment wings44. Adjustment wings 44 can be any suitable shape and are attached tocollar housing 12 to raise the effective height of high point surfacesC, D, E on inside surface 18 relative to electrodes or sensors 24,thereby increasing animal comfort when collar 10 is attached to theanimal's neck. Adjustment wings 44 are used particularly when attachingcollar 10 to animals having smaller radius necks. Depending on the sizeof the animal's neck, multiple adjustment wings 44 can be used toimprove fit and comfort. Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatother equivalent means of attaching adjustment wings 44 to collarhousing 12 can be conceived and all such equivalent means are believedto be within the scope of the applicant's animal collar as describedherein.

The applicant has found that one problem with existing electronic dogcollars is attaining and maintaining sufficient contact betweenelectrodes 24 and the animal's skin 6 (see FIG. 4). If goodelectrode/skin contact is not maintained it results in an open circuitcondition, which prevents transmission of the electric stimulus from thestimulating unit to the animal through electrodes 24. Attempts have beenmade to solve this problem by using electronic methods, including usinga low impedance transformer.

One cause of this problem in electronic dog collars is that many peopleare unable to properly tighten the collar to ensure good electrode/skincontact. Most people simply tighten the strap in the middle of the neck.However, since a dog's neck is generally larger at the base than at thetop, when the dog runs the collar may move up causing a loss of goodelectrode/skin contact, resulting in an open circuit condition. Dogowners can solve this problem by tightening the strap around thesmallest portion of the dog's neck, up under the ears of the dog.However, the problem with this solution is that, because such placementof the collar is uncomfortable for the dog, most owners are reluctant toattach the collar in this position.

A further cause of this problem with the conventional electronic dogcollar, is that many people are unable to determine how tight the collarneeds to be fitted to the animal to maintain sufficient electrode/skincontact. The collar needs to be tight enough to maintain good contact,but yet not so tight that the animal chokes. This is a difficult skillto master.

Yet another cause of this problem is that some dogs who have becomeaccustomed to being fitted with electronic collars learn that if theyexpand their neck when the collar is being attached, all they need to doto avoid receiving a painful electric stimulus is contract their neckmuscles at the appropriate time to break the electrode/skin contact.

To solve the problem of attaining and maintaining good electrode/skincontact in an electronic animal collar, to further improve collarcomfort and versatility, and to avoid causing discomfort or choking theanimal, connecting strap 20 may include a stretchable elastic insert 50(see FIG. 3), which automatically adjusts collar 10 to the correcttightness regardless of the user's skill in securing the collar to theanimal. One significant problem with electronic animal collars of theprior art results from the cone-like shape of the animal's neck, whichis thicker at the body than at the head. When attaching the collar tothe animal, users tend to slide the collar down and place it near thebase of the animal's neck in the hope of there being less chance of thecollar shifting downward further. Unfortunately, regular electroniccollars attached in this manner will shift upwards on the animal's neck,becoming loose and may slide around to the side. Elastic insert 50automatically adjusts for the cone shape of the animal's neck tomaintain the correct electrode-skin contact and prevent the collar fromshifting upward to a smaller diameter area of the neck. In addition,elastic insert 50 will extend and tighten in response to the animal'smovements, such as flexing the neck muscles, heavy breathing or barking,thus maintaining proper collar tension and electrode-skin contact at alltimes. Elastic insert 50 may be made of any suitable elastic materialhaving the desired stretch properties. The strength of elastic insert 50must be sufficient to attain sufficient electrode/skin contact at thenarrowest point of the animal's neck, but not so strong as to choke theanimal during use.

In another embodiment of the applicant's animal collar, as shown in FIG.15, stretchable inserts 50 a are located in the buckle 80 rather than inthe strap 20 of electronic collar 10. Buckle 80 is permanently securedto one end of strap 20 and is used in the standard manner to securestrap 20 and collar 10 around the animal's neck. In this embodiment,buckle 80 includes a back buckle portion 82 permanently secured to oneend of strap 20 and a front buckle portion 84 for attachment to theother end of strap 20 in the usual manner. Front buckle portion 84includes an anchor block 86 fixed to a front fork 88. Anchor block 86 ispivotally attached to a buckle frame 90 including a buckle sleeve 92,and a buckle pin 94 is pivotally attached to the buckle frame 92. Backbuckle portion 82, includes a back fork 96 pivotally connected to oneend of strap 20. A strap ring 98 may also be attached to strap 20 atthis point. Two stretchable inserts 50 a are located between front fork88 and back fork 96 to connect the back buckle portion 82 to the frontbuckle portion 84, thus providing the correct amount of stretch incollar 10 to solve the above-described problem of attaining andmaintaining good electrode/skin contact. Stretchable inserts 50 a may bemade of any suitable stretchable material having the desired stretchproperties. As noted earlier, the strength of Stretchable inserts 50 amust be sufficient to attain sufficient electrode/skin contact at thenarrowest point of the animal's neck, but not so strong as to choke theanimal during use or when the collar is moved to a thicker portion ofthe animal's neck.

The applicant has experimented with many different stretchable materialsfor connecting front buckle portion 84 to back buckle portion 82,including braided elastic material, flat latex material, and rubbermaterial. The applicant has found that flexible tubing made fromPolyvinyl chloride (PVC), Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE), plastic, orlatex works particularly well. In particular, latex tubing having aninside diameter of 3/16 inches, manufactured by Kent Elastomer ProductsInc. has been used by the applicant. The appropriate wall thickness ofthe tubing is selected so as to provide the desired amount of stretch.Such latex tubing over-comes the above-described problems by providingthe correct amount of stretch to maintain good electrode/skin contactwithout causing the animal discomfort or to choke. The latex tubing isfixed to back fork 96 and front fork 88, using a suitable adhesive. Insome cases, depending on the inherent surface friction that may existbetween forks 88, 96 and the latex tubing, it may not be necessary touse any adhesive.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the applicant has used twostretchable inserts 50 a to connect the back buckle portion 82 to thefront buckle portion 84. The reader will appreciate that if theconfiguration of buckle 80 is altered slightly, it may be possible touse a single stretchable insert or more than two stretchable inserts insubstitution for the two stretchable inserts 50 a shown in FIG. 15.Alternatively, a suitable spring or springs could be used, or a shockabsorber device connected between back buckle portion 82 and frontbuckle portion 84, would perform the same function.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 15, buckle 80 also includes a backupstring 100 connected between front buckle portion 84 and back buckleportion 82. Backup string 100 is cut to a desired length so as to limitor stop the total amount of stretch permitted for stretchable inserts 50a and can made from any lightweight, rigid, non-stretch material such asnylon. Once stretchable inserts 50 a have been stretched a certainselected amount, backup string 100 will prevent further stretching,thereby limiting the amount of tension that can be placed on the collarwhen attaching it to the animal. This prevents an inexperienced ownerfrom over tightening the collar and causing discomfort to the animal.Backup sting 100 will also prevent the collar from coming off the animalshould the stretchable inserts 50 a fail. The reader will appreciatethat other suitable means can be substituted for backup string 100 andused to stop or limit the amount by which stretchable inserts 50 a canbe stretched. For example, a sliding telescopic bar could be connectedbetween front buckle portion 84 and back buckle portion 82. The slidingbar would permit only the desired amount of stretch before stoppingfurther movement.

The stretchable inserts 50 and 50 a described herein by the applicantare design specifically for use on electronic animal collars of the typehaving at least one electrode 24 extending toward the animal during usefor transferring a stimulus to the animal. The electronic animal collarmay have a housing for containing a stimulating unit for generating anelectric stimulus, which is directed to the animal through the electrodeor electrodes 24. The housing may include a receiver unit for receivingsignals from a transmitter to control when the stimulus is to beadministered. Stretchable inserts 50 and 50 a are designed to maintaingood electrode/skin contact so as to improve the function of theelectronic animal collar and provide comfort for the animal. Stretchableinserts 50 and 50 a are not designed or intended for use on a regularanimal collar used for attachment to a leash for restraining or leadingthe animal.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 10 and 11, collar speaker 60 may be includedwithin collar housing 12 for use in issuing audio commands to the animalin response to signals received from a remote transmitter 64 containedwithin a remote control unit 65 In one embodiment, a microphone 66 onremote control unit 65 picks up audio commands from a trainer. Thecommands are transmitted by transmitter 64 using permitted radiofrequencies, received by receiver 62 contained within collar housing 12,and played over collar speaker 60. In an alternative preferredembodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, collar housing 12 may include audiostorage device 68, such as an electronic memory chip, a microrecorder/player, or any similar device, containing pre-recorded audiocommands or sounds familiar to the animal. Instead of transmitting theactual audio, the trainer uses remote control unit 65 and transmitter 64to send an activation code 69 corresponding to one of the pre-recordedaudio commands or sounds contained within audio storage device 68.Receiver unit 62 receives activation code 69 and causes thecorresponding audio command or sound from storage device 68 to be playedover collar speaker 60.

In a further aspect of the applicant's animal collar, as shown in FIG.12, the above-described stored sounds, or an electric stimulus appliedthrough electrodes 24, can be activated simply by tapping or sharplystriking remote control unit 65. As a result, remote control unit 65 canbe kept in the user's pocket and need not be removed for operation. Thiscan be advantageous, for example, when hunting with a dog in the fieldwhere it may be raining or cold and the hunter does not want to carryremote control unit 65 in his hand, or remove a glove to activate thecontrol unit buttons. It is also a safety feature, since it can bedangerous to handle both a gun and the remote control unit at the sametime.

In this aspect of the applicant's animal collar, as shown in FIG. 12,remote control unit 65 includes a vibration sensor 70 connected to amicroprocessor 67 including memory. Vibration sensor 70 is capable ofdetecting when remote control unit 65 has been struck sharply or tappedby a user In response to the tap, microprocessor 67 uses transmitter 64to send an activation code 69 to receiver 62, which initiates playbackof one of the stored audio commands or sounds, or causes an electricstimulus to be sent from stimulating unit 72 to the animal throughelectrodes 24. Vibration sensor 70 may be any suitable device capable ofdetecting vibrations produced by a sharp strike or tap of remote controlunit 65, such as an accelerometer, a piezoelectric crystal, or anydevice which measures strain wave propagation.

Microprocessor 67 can be programmed to send the appropriate activationcode 69 for audio playback, or electric stimulus, depending on thenumber and sequence of taps detected by vibration sensor 70. Remotecontrol unit 65 may also include a means to prevent sending theactivation code 69 upon accidental activation. For example, afterdetecting a tap, remote control unit 65 can be configured to issue aconfirmatory signal, such as a sound tone or a voice reply or avibration that the user can feel. Activation code 69 will not be sentuntil the user replies to the confirmatory signal with one or more tapswithin a specified period.

In an alternate embodiment of this aspect of the applicant's animalcollar, as shown in FIG. 13, vibration sensor 70 is replaced with voicerecognition circuits 74 and microphone 66. Upon receipt of the correctvoice commands from the user the corresponding activation code 69 issent to receiver 62, which initiates playback of one of the stored audiocommands or sounds or causes an electric stimulus to be sent fromstimulating unit 72 to the animal through electrodes 24.

In a further aspect of the applicant's animal collar, as shown in FIG.14, remote control unit 65 includes microprocessor 67 having an optioncontrol program 80, which can be used to activate or deactivate featuresand components of collar 10 and remote control unit 65. In this aspectof the applicant's animal collar, collar 10 and remote control unit 65can be manufactured to include all of the features and componentsdescribe above, including bark sensor 90, collar speaker 60, receiver62, audio storage device 68, stimulating unit 72, electrodes 24,vibration sensor 70, microphone 66, and voice recognition circuits 74.Due to economies of scale, manufacturing large numbers of collars 10 andremote control units 65 containing all of these components can be costeffective when compared to manufacturing smaller numbers of the devicescontaining differing combinations of components. At the time ofpurchase, the user simply identifies the desired features and pays thecorresponding fee. The vendor enters an option code into remote controlunit 65 corresponding to the desired features, and option controlprogram 80 activates the corresponding components and controllingcircuitry. The option code could be determined, for example, by theserial number of remote control unit 65 so that no two collars wouldhave the same option code for the same features. For example, initiallythe user may not wish to purchase the no-bark feature of the collar, butmay want to have the ability to control the collar by tapping remotecontrol unit 65 or using voice commands. In this scenario, the vendorenters an option code into remote control unit 65 to active vibrationsensor 70 or voice recognition circuits 74 (or both) permitting the userto control the collar by tapping remote control unit 65 or with voicecommands.

One significant advantage of this aspect of the applicant's animalcollar is that it gives the user considerable flexibility in hispurchase. New features can be added by a user at any time by paying theappropriate fee and requesting the corresponding option code. In theabove scenario, the user may later decide to add the no-bark feature byrequesting and paying for the corresponding option code. The option codeis entered into remote control unit 65 and transmitted to collar 10 toactivate bark sensor 90. To add further convenience, the option code maybe provided to the user by telephone or over the Internet once paymentis confirmed. One further advantage of this aspect of the applicant'sanimal collar is that a vendor no longer has to maintain an inventory ofcollars having different features and components. The vendor simplystocks one collar at the lowest price. If additional features are sold,the appropriate option codes are entered and additional fees arecollected from the purchaser and paid to the manufacturer.

In another aspect of the applicant's animal collar, as shown in FIG. 14as well, microprocessor 67 includes an advertising option program 95 andremote control unit 65 includes a display 96 for displaying advertisingcorresponding to the particular vendor selling the collar. Advertisingoption program 95 may be configured to cause certain advertising toappear in display 96 at a predetermined time or upon use of a selectedfeature. For example, at the beginning of duck hunting season,advertising option program 95 can cause the display of a coupon offeringa discount on duck hunting products. The type of advertising displayedwill be unique to each vendor and will be stored in the memory ofmicroprocessor 67 at the time of manufacturer. At the time of shippingto a vendor, an advertising option code corresponding to that vendor isentered into microprocessor 67 to select the corresponding advertisingfor that vendor.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it is possibleto design various configurations of the collar described herein thatincrease the contact friction areas between the collar and the animal,while at the same time maintaining good electrode-skin contact. Varioussuch configurations have been illustrated herein by the applicant, butother such designs, that fall within the scope of the applicant's animalcollar, as herein described by the applicant, are possible. It istherefore likely that the applicant's animal collar may be embodied inother specific forms without departing from the spirit or essentialcharacteristics of the applicant's animal collar as described herein.The present embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and notrestrictive, the scope of the applicant's animal collar being indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and allchanges that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

1. A remote control unit for controlling an electronic collar for ananimal, the electronic collar having a receiver for receiving controlsignals from the remote control unit for controlling at least one deviceattached to or contained within the electronic collar, the remotecontrol unit comprising: a transmitter for transmitting the controlsignals to the receiver; a vibration sensor for detecting when theremote control unit has been struck or tapped sharply; and amicroprocessor connected to the transmitter and to the vibration sensor,the microprocessor adapted to cause the transmitter to transmit thecontrol signals to the receiver for controlling the at least one devicein response to the remote control unit having been struck or tappedsharply.
 2. The remote control unit according to claim 1, wherein thevibration sensor measures strain wave propagation.
 3. The remote controlunit according to claim 2, wherein the vibration sensor is anaccelerometer.
 4. The remote control unit according to claim 2, whereinthe vibration sensor is a piezoelectric crystal.
 5. The remote controlunit according to claim 1, wherein the electronic collar includes morethan one device, and wherein the microprocessor is adapted to cause thetransmitter to transmit a different control signal for controlling eachof the devices, each of the different control signals corresponding to aselected different number of times the remote control unit has beenstruck or tapped sharply.
 6. The remote control unit according to claim1, wherein the electronic collar includes more than one device, andwherein the microprocessor is adapted to cause the transmitter totransmit a different control signal for controlling each of the devices,each of the different control signals corresponding to a selecteddifferent sequence of times the remote control unit has been struck ortapped sharply.
 7. The remote control unit according to claim 1, whereinthe microprocessor includes a confirmation means to prevent thetransmitter from sending the control signal upon accidental striking ortapping of the remote control unit.
 8. The remote control unit accordingto claim 7, wherein the confirmation means is an audible sound requiringthat the remote control unit be struck or tapped sharply one or moretimes within a predetermined period of time before the control signal issent.
 9. The remote control unit according to claim 7, wherein theconfirmation means is a vibration that can be sensed by a user requiringthat the remote control unit be struck or tapped sharply one or moretimes within a predetermined period of time before the control signal issent.
 10. The remote control unit according to claim 1, wherein the atleast one device comprises a storage device and a speaker for storingand playing back multiple audio animal control commands.
 11. The remotecontrol unit according to claim 10, wherein the microprocessor isadapted to cause the transmitter to transmit a different control signalfor playing back each of the multiple audio animal control commands,each of the different control signals corresponding to a selecteddifferent number of times the remote control unit has been struck ortapped sharply.
 12. The remote control unit according to claim 10,wherein the microprocessor is adapted to cause the transmitter totransmit a different control signal for playing back each of themultiple audio animal control commands, each of the different controlsignals corresponding to a selected different sequence of times theremote control unit has been struck or tapped sharply.
 13. The remotecontrol unit according to claim 1, wherein the at least one devicecomprises a stimulating unit and at least one electrode for transferringa stimulus to the animal.
 14. A remote control unit for controlling anelectronic collar for an animal, the electronic collar having a receiverfor receiving control signals from the remote control unit forcontrolling at least one device attached to or contained within theelectronic collar, the remote control unit comprising: a transmitter fortransmitting the control signals to the receiver; a voice recognitionmeans for detecting and distinguishing voice commands; and amicroprocessor connected to the transmitter and to the voice recognitionmeans, the microprocessor adapted to cause the transmitter to transmitthe control signals to the receiver for controlling the at least onedevice in response to the voice commands.
 15. The remote control unitaccording to claim 14, wherein the electronic collar includes more thanone device, and wherein the microprocessor is adapted to cause thetransmitter to transmit a different control signal for controlling eachof the devices, each of the different control signals corresponding to aselected different one of the voice commands.
 16. The remote controlunit according to claim 14, wherein the microprocessor includes aconfirmation means to prevent the transmitter from sending the controlsignal when one of the voice commands is issued accidentally.
 17. Theremote control unit according to claim 16, wherein the confirmationmeans is an audible sound requiring that another one of the voicecommands be issued within a predetermined period of time before thecontrol signal is sent.
 18. The remote control unit according to claim16, wherein the confirmation means is a vibration that can be sensed bya user requiring that another one of the voice commands be issued withina predetermined period of time before the control signal is sent. 19.The remote control unit according to claim 14, wherein the at least onedevice comprises a storage device and a speaker for storing and playingback multiple audio animal control commands.
 20. The remote control unitaccording to claim 19, wherein the microprocessor is adapted to causethe transmitter to transmit a different control signal for playing backeach of the multiple audio animal control commands, each of thedifferent control signals corresponding to a selected different one ofthe voice commands.
 21. The remote control unit according to claim 14,wherein the at least one device comprises a stimulating unit and atleast one electrode for transferring a stimulus to the animal.